Sydney Airport celebrates Chinese New Year

• Sydney Airport announces sponsorship of City of Sydney Chinese New Year Festival 2013• Traditional lion dance to greet passengers on Saturday

Sydney Airport has joined forces with the City of Sydney to sponsor this year’s Chinese New Year festival, which will be launched tonight in Sydney’s Haymarket.

“China is one of our fastest growing inbound tourism markets and we’re delighted and proud to be supporting one of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of mainland China,” Sydney Airport Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather said.

“Sydney is Australia’s number one destination, both in terms of tourism and the VFR (visiting friends and relatives) market and Chinese New Year in particular, is traditionally a peak time for travel and reuniting with family.

“We have been getting fantastic feedback from Chinese passengers for initiatives including the launch of our popular iPhone app in simplified Chinese, introduction of Mandarin-speaking Red Ambassadors to assist passengers during the Chinese New Year period and working with retailers to introduce China Union Pay – the equivalent of Visa – at many of our stores.

“For this Chinese New Year, we have embraced the Year of the Snake, with decorations throughout the terminal and a traditional lion dance to greet passengers on Saturday morning at the international terminal forecourt.

“Our second largest international visitor market now comes from China and we will continue to work with Destination NSW as part of its China tourism strategy to attract new services – meaning more tourists to Sydney.

“We have Australia’s largest Chinese network, with services to all the major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanjing and we’re keen to expand so that more Chinese tourists can experience the great things that Sydney has to offer."